During the manufacture of a web of paper or board in a paper machine or a board machine, and in particular during the production of board from chemo-thermo mechanical pulp (CTMP), it is not unusual that shrinkage creases, which extend along the longitudinal direction of the web, form. The shrinkage creases constitute an undesirable defect of the web that should be reduced as much as is possible by changing the settings of the board machine.
One method that is used to assess the appearance of the web and the occurrence of shrinkage creases is to allow an operator to inspect the web visually, for example during exchange of machine roll, and to estimate the extent of the shrinkage creases. The operator can, for example, estimate the extent on associated with such a procedure. Firstly, the procedure is subjective, i.e. there is a risk that different operators will estimate the extent of the same shrinkage creases differently. Secondly, the area of inspection is limited to that part of the web that is visible at the machine roll, i.e. the part of the web that forms the covering surface of the machine roll. Thirdly, it is only possible to discover relatively major changes in a visual inspection. In other words, the resolution of a visual inspection is relatively low.
One way of objectively measuring the surface structure of a web of paper is described in the patent SE 516999. According to the method described, two images of the web are taken in the transverse direction of the web at a pre-determined position. The web is illuminated for the two images by light obliquely incident from two different directions, i.e. the web is illuminated with light that is incident from a first direction during the taking of the first image, and it is illuminated with light incident from a second direction during the taking of the second image. The images are subsequently Fourier-transformed and the spectra obtained are combined to give an approximation of the correct spectrum of the web. It has, however, become apparent that this method of measuring the surface structure of the web is less suitable when shrinkage creases are present. In particular, the step of taking two images with illumination from two different directions is inconveniently complex.